The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
is fully committed to the social, cultural and economic development of
women. The government has been able to protect the honor, life and property
of Afghan women. Contrary to the situation under the Rabbani regime, women
can now be outside their houses safely without the fear of being kidnaped,
raped or looted. They no longer fear conditions that were common during
the Rabbani regime. According to amnesty international reports of 1992-95,
women in Afghanistan bore the brunt of the atrocities by the Rabbani regime
and other armed factions. Irresponsible commanders and gunmen not only
violated the honor of women by raping them but mutilated women's bodies
and in many cases, cut their breasts etc. Similarly, common was murder,
torture and execution of our people by the armed factions. Due to the intolerable
atrocities, the Taleban Islamic Movement emerged to deliver the defenseless
Afghan people from the cruel hands of the warlords. One should ask oneself,
is women's freedom to be raped with their breasts cut, or is it to freely
live their lives without fear of even comments being made at them.

The former regime that did not serve
the country had employed women in a number of sectors without any real
need. Some of them were used just for the sexual entertainment of the bureaucracy.
Due to the ineffective and immoral institutions, they have temporarily
been relieved of their duties. The government pays them their salaries
regularly. But women whose work is really needed, are still working in
the health, education and security sectors. As conditions in the country
improve, so will, doubtlessly, job opportunities for women.

Restoration of Women's Safety,
Dignity and Freedom

Being highly concerned about the
well-being of its female citizens, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,
soon introduced measures to put a stop to the miserable living conditions
under which the women lived in Kabul. After the communists took over in
Kabul, they began to exploit women for the purpose of advancing their political
and social agendas. In spite of war condition in the country and with no
work in the offices, the communist regime forced a large number of women
to attend government offices only for their amusement.

The Islamic Emirate decided to pay
the salaries of these women at their homes, so that they could stay home
and take care of their families and children. The purpose of this policy
is to help revive the Afghan family and household, as the foundation of
the Afghan society, a foundation that was intentionally destroyed by the
communist regime.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
is determined to provide educational and employment opportunities for the
women of Afghanistan, as soon as the security and financial circumstances
under which the Islamic Emirate operates allow such a step to be taken.
In the meantime, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will try to acquire
the resources and build the facilities that would make the separate education
of women possible.

Observance of Islamic Hejab or
the Veil

The enforcement of the code of Islamic
Hejab by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is fully consistent with the
Islamic beliefs of Afghans and the traditions of the Afghan society. Wearing
a veil is common among women all over Afghanistan. Islam and Afghan tradition
attach the greatest importance to the honor and safety of women in the
society.

To comply with the Islamic code of
Hejab, as well as to reduce the degree of threat to the personal safety
of women, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is asking the women to observe
the Islamic Hejab, and cover their faces in public. This is a measure that
is undertaken for the simple reason of protecting the honor, dignity, and
personal safety of the women in Afghanistan.

Women's Education in the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan

Based on the holy teachings of Islam,
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers education as the pillar of
a healthy and prosperous individual and social life. The Islamic Emirate
is determined to provide educational opportunities for all Afghans irrespective
of gender, race, tribe, language, or regional affiliations.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
considers education to be obligatory equally for men and women according
to the tenets of Islam. This is a clear verdict of our religion. However,
currently the country is in shambles, its economic structure destroyed
and education facilities turned to rubble like much else in the country.
Afghanistan requires appropriate foreign assistance to rebuild every aspect
of educational institutions. The present war situation imposed and fueled
by foreign powers diverts from Afghanistan's already meager national resources
that would be better allocated to opening more schools. Larger and more
centrally-run schools in urban areas present the greatest challenge. Secondly,
the Afghans do not trust the communist-style curriculum. We have to restore
the trust of the common people in government-run education. We also need
to compile a new curriculum that will answer to the needs of our society.
Thirdly, the war has created a huge brain drain in all sectors including
education. In order to successfully tackle restoration of educational,
economic, political and social institutions, the government wants to attract
Afghan professionals and intellectuals living abroad. We want them to take
part in the reconstruction of their country. Without their full participation
in the rehabilitation and development efforts, the Islamic Emirate will
not be able to tackle these issues successfully.

The conditions today for the implementation
of a sound, effective, and Islamic educational program for the women of
Afghanistan are nonexistent. Over ninety percent of school buildings have
been ruined by the war. Qualified teachers have left the country. School
books are full of communist propaganda and indoctrination material. Because
of past abuses of the educational system for the purpose of propagating
atheist ideology and ideas, the great majority of Afghan fathers and mothers
have lost faith in schools and secular education. Last but not least, in
spite of its deep desire to activate the schooling system in the country,
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been facing great difficulties in
securing the financial and physical resources needed to provide security
for the schools, reconstruct school buildings, print new books, acquire
the necessary materials and pay for qualified and dependable teachers.

The limited amount of resources at
the disposal of the Islamic Emirate are being used to finance a war that
has been imposed on Afghanistan by the brazen and open intervention of
countries such as Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan and India. Intervention by these
countries, and the resulting terrorist activities launched against the
innocent men and women of Afghanistan by groups affiliated to these countries,
have made the task of providing security for schools and public buildings,
particularly girl's schools, extremely difficult.

Currently Operating Girls' Schools

Despite the limited economic resources
of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to fund educational institutes, universities
in Qandahar, Kabul and Nangrahar provinces are operating as usual. Several
NGOs have been allowed to fund schools in Afghanistan, besides the schools
funded by the government.

Contrary to reports about girls education
in the press, the figures obtained from the education sector in Afghanistan,
reveal that girls education in rural Afghanistan is increasing. According
to a survey conducted by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), almost
80 per cent of the girls schools located in rural areas under the administration
of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan are operating in full swing. Ms.
Pia Karlsson, education advisor at the Education Technical Support Unit
(ETSU) of SCA, said in a recent interview published by the Frontier Post,
a Peshawar based English daily that only in Ghazni province, where the
Islamic Emirate under the leadership of TIMA has control for the last two
years, approximately 85 per cent of the girls are still in schools. Ms.
Karlsson says, "The picture outside the cities is totally different."

The SCA which has been supporting
elementary education in Afghanistan since 1984, currently supports 422
boys schools, 125 girls schools and 897 mixed schools (co-education) in
the forms of primary schools and home schools. During the survey, she concentrated
on 100 SCA supported girls schools in the nine provinces: Kabul, Kunar,
Laghman, Ningarhar, Ghzani, Logar, Paktika, Paktya and Wardak. All these
provinces are under the administration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
According to the survey, female attendance was at 94 per cent and of the
7834 girls enrolled, 7341 were found present. More significantly, at least
170 female teachers were found teaching in these schools. Similarly, in
Kunduz province, 122 schools are operating with 390 female teachers teaching
at the schools. The Islamic Emirate is ready to open girls and boys schools
with appropriate foreign assistance.

Female Health Sector

Health facilities for women have
increased 200% during Taleban administration. Prior to the Taleban Islamic
Movement's taking control of Kabul, there were 350 beds in all hospitals
in Kabul. Currently, there are more than 950 beds for women in exclusive
women's hospitals. Some hospitals which have specifically been allocated
to women include Rabia Balkhi Hospital, Malali Hospital, Khair Khana Hospital,
Indira Gandhi Child Health Hospital, Atta Turk Hospital, Kuwait Red Crescent
Hospital, Contagious Disease Hospital and T.B. Hospital. Moreover, there
are 32 mother and child health clinics. In addition to this, women receive
treatment at ICRC and the Sandy Gal Orthopaedic Centers. In all these hospitals
and clinics, women work as doctors and nurses to provide health services
to female patients.